Onward to Lake Issy-Kol

Onward to Lake Issyk-Kol

The next stop on the trip is the worlds`s second-largest alpine lake. The only lake to beat it out is Lake Titicaca! Stationed at 1600m the lake never freezes. It's depth and thermal activity don't exactly make I the warmest but keep it unfrozen even in the coldest of winter nights. Thus the lake has been named Issyk-Kol which translates to `hot lake` and is a big summer destination. The backdrop for this gorgeous setting is the Ala-Too mountains which are beautifully snow capped. 

The lake has changed shorelines many times over the course of history leaving some towns completely submerged. Chigu is one such example that dates back to the 2nd century B.C. Then the Krygyz nomadic tribes came in around 10th century.

Once again Timur appears in legends down here in Kyrgyzstan making the lake a summer home.

As continues with every history lesson of these Central Asian countries, the Russians came. Spas were built around the lake and it became a very popular destination. However, they kept it for themselves forbidding foreigners from coming. Not only was the lake off limits but much of Kyrgyzstan was blocked as well.

Were they just being selfish and keeping the beautiful landscape for themselves or was there another reason? Legends tell of USSR sanctioned opium and marijuana fields growing beyond the borders in the exotic lands. Hmmm? Funny thing is that as I was reading about this legend we stopped for our typically side of the road pee stop. What did we find? Oh just an entire field of marijuana!! The Russians may be gone but looks like that stayed in some areas.

The second reason to keep Issyk-Kol off limits was for Naval testing. Different types of torpedoes were tested in the deep waters. Kyrgyzstan gained its independence from Russia in 1991 but the new Russian president still wanted to continue to use the water. Luckily Kyrgyzstan was smarter than that and politely declined the offer.

Today anyone is able to come and see this beautiful lake and picturesque backdrop. The only struggle now is booking flights to this off the beaten path country!    

For the next few days we will be traveling around the lake to different adventure points!